1972

1977

1979

1992

1994

A tribute to Mercator

1996

Creating the Overseas

1998

The Vacheron Constantin workshops in the Vallée de Joux

1901

The first calibre with the Hallmark of Geneva

In 1901, the first Vacheron Constantin calibre receives the Hallmark of Geneva. This certification, created in 1886 by the Geneva cantonal parliament, was intended to preserve the skills of Geneva’s watchmakers and protect them from the unlawful use of the Geneva name.

The Hallmark of Geneva is today considered a mark of watchmaking excellence

because it guarantees the provenance, quality, accuracy and endurance of the watch. Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watchmaking firm that has its movements stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva.

1905

Pocket-watch in cloisonné enamels

At the Milan International Exhibition of 1906,

Vacheron Constantin presented a collection of watches of such beauty that the jury awarded the company the exhibition’s Grand Prix.

One of the pieces of the Milan collection is this yellow-gold lever watch. A superbly executed a pattern of thistles in cloisonné enamels adorns the back while the two-tone silvered dial displays a finely engine-turned centre.

This watch is typical of the jewellery pieces Vacheron Constantin created at the time. Its decorative features represent the Geneva tradition at the height of its sophistication.

Its decorative features represent the Geneva tradition at the height of its sophistication.

1906

The first boutique opens its doors

During the first years of the 20th century, Vacheron Constantin was getting orders from the likes of Queen Mary of Rumania, the brothers Henry and William James and Prince Napoleon, the grandson of Jerome Bonaparte.

In 1904, the firm became purveyor to the Serbian royal household and was decorated with the Royal Order of St Sava, named for the father of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the country’s most popular saint.

Advert for the Vacheron Constantin shop (late 19th century) on the upper floor BEFORE the opening of the boutique on the ground floor in 1906.

In order to display its luxury watches in appropriate surroundings, Vacheron Constantin inaugurated its first shop on August 1, 1906

on the ground floor of the island building. Clients were previously welcomed in the salons on the upper floors.

1907

The Royal Chronometer pocket-watch

In 1907, the Geneva watch manufacturer presents its first Royal Chronometer and has the name of the model registered. This pocket-chronometer, which was unlike any other watch produced at that time, soon became an international hit.

Its legendary toughness, reliability and accuracy were much appreciated by owners in harsh climates hitherto considered detrimental to the proper functioning of a watch.

This pocket-chronometer, which was unlike any other watch produced at that time, soon became an international hit.

It was the start of an adventurous future for this model,

which continued to develop its astonishing functional qualities throughout the 20th century.

1912

The advent of the tonneau case

Vacheron Constantin decides to break away from the traditional round shape of the watch in the avant-garde spirit of a progressive age. In 1912 it became one of the first manufacturers to adopt the tonneau or barrel-shaped case.

Tonneau watches became part of the brand’s identity as soon as they appeared.

This elegant example in yellow gold has a silver dial with 12 radiating arabic numerals and a peripheral minutes track.

Popular both with men and women, the tonneau case would house some of the most prestigious horological complications during the rest of the century.

It appears today particularly in the technical and contemporary Malte collection launched in 2000.

1916

Wristwatch for the Maharaja of Patiala

During 1914 and 1915, the company creates a tiny oblong movement that it calls “le tuyau” — the pipe. Only 26mm long and 6.5mm wide, it was the forbear of the baguette movement, which was notably used in a curved version made in 1916 for this lady’s bracelet

a unique piece acquired by the Maharaja of Patiala,

Sir Bhupinder Singh. Made of gold and diamonds, it is noted for the ingenious workmanship of its openworked, chased and engraved case. Its baguette movement on a curved rectangular baseplate allows the time to be viewed in profile. Twelve Arabic numerals adorn a dial of frosted silver.

1918

Corps of Engineers pocket-chronograph

The First World War gives the company an opportunity to strengthen its links with the American market. When the United States entered the war in 1917, it set up an office in Geneva to buy equipment for the American Expeditionary Force.

This office ordered several thousand pocket-chronographs from Vacheron Constantin with the following specifications: a stainless silver case, resistant to changes in temperature and luminous hands.

They were specially made for sappers and were inscribed with Corps of Engineers, U.S.A and Vacheron & Constantin Genève.

The contract was renewed several times until 1920.

1918

The Packard watch

Behind its apparent simplicity,

this clockwatch made for the American automobile engineer and horological collector, James Ward Packard, hides an exceptionally complex mechanism.

The clockwatch rings the hours and quarters in passing in the grand strike mode, while the small strike omits the hours at each quarter. In addition, this extraordinary timepiece strikes the half-quarters. Among its other features are a Guillaume compensation balance, a rock-crystal glass and a 20-carat gold engraved case with the owner’s monogram in blue enamel on the back.

Several years later in 1928, Ward Packard’s compatriot, the New York banker and collector, Henry Graves Jr, bought a tourbillon watch signed Vacheron Constantin. This unique custom-made piece was delivered to its owner at the Hotel Crillon in Paris.

1921

Wristwatch for the American market

This avant-garde wristwatch in a cushion case was produced in secret for the American market during the roaring twenties.

The crown at 1 o'clock, and the position of the white enamel dial with its 11 arabic numerals, minutes scale and small seconds, showed the time at a glance.

This remarkable watch, in keeping with the adventurous mood of the 1920s, reflects Vacheron Constantin’s skills and creative spirit.

1923

Les Bergers d’Arcadie pocket-watch

This magnificent pocket-watch is decorated with a miniature in enamels of Nicolas Poussin’s pastoral painting, Et in Arcadia Ego. The enamellist was Louise Goll, one of the major miniaturists in Geneva during the early 20th century.

The dust cover has an engraving after Leopold Robert’s painting, The arrival of harvesters in the Pontine Marshes, with part of the score of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony inscribed beneath it.

As a masterpiece of the collection with a movement entirely engraved by hand, it displays the talents of the company’s craftsmen, demonstrating that

the artistic crafts are inseparable from the history of fine Geneva watchmaking and of Vacheron Constantin.

A true masterpiece of the collection, the result of the combined talents of the Maison's craftsmen.

1927

Pocket-watch in rock crystal

It reveals a superb skeleton movement in pink gold. These extremely intricate movements are an historic speciality of the firm, which in 1924 produced a skeleton movement that was only 2mm thick.

This watch is fitted with a lever escapement and a cut bimetallic balance on a flat spring. The time is shown by the 12 points in black enamel on the platinum bezel and the hands in platinum and diamonds.

1929

Grand complication pocket-watch

In 1929 the Swiss residents of Egypt presented this timepiece to King Fuad I.

It combines a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a minute-repeater and a grand/small-strike clockwatch in a masterstroke of watchmaking.

The royal arms in enamels decorate the caseback. The yellow-gold pocket-watch has a silvered dial with 10 arabic numerals in black, an aperture for the days and dates at 12 o'clock, a subdial for the months and years at 9 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and the ages and phases of the moon with the small seconds at 6 o'clock.

King Fouad I (1868 - 1936)

1946

Creating a watch for King Farouk

Vacheron Constantin creates one of its most complicated watches for Farouk, son of King Fuad I of Egypt, who inherited his father’s appreciation of fine watchmaking. It took five years to compete this masterpiece, a gift to the new king from the Geneva authorities. It combines 14 complications in 820 parts, 55 of which are jewel bearings.

It took five years to complete this masterpiece

King Farouk (1920-1965)

1952

A new shape

Riding the creative wave of the post-war recovery,

Vacheron Constantin introduces a new model with an unusual shape — a curved square — that proves extremely popular.

This triple date (days, months and dates) wristwatch with moonphases asserts its refinement with technical aplomb. This particular form watch reappeared in 1998 in the Toledo models and again in 2003 when it was introduced in the Historiques collection.

1952

Pocket-watch with a miniature in enamels

The renowned artist in enamels, Carlo Poluzzi (1899-1978), came from Italy but worked in the Geneva town of Carouge. He created this miniature in enamels after The Deer Hunt by Paul Bril (Musée du Louvre, Paris), which adorns the back of this yellow-gold watch.

The technique used is typical of the school of Geneva enamelling, with layers of fired colours giving depth to the picture and the transparent enamel glaze protecting it.

1954

The Aronde wristwatch

The post-war boom sees the birth of an audaciously creative model. Aronde means a swallow in old French and refers to the twin curves likes wings on the sides of the case, accentuated by the domed glass. The rectangular case and bold design of this watch highlight Vacheron Constantin’s recognized creative ability to adapt its styling principles to technical advances.

1955

Ultra-thin wristwatch

Vacheron Constantin restates its vocation of creating the exceptional for its bicentenary.

Its watchmakers managed to create the thinnest ever manually wound movement; at 1.64mm it is a thin as a Swiss 20 cent coin. The calibre 1003, bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, has become representative of the ultra-thin movements.

In 2010 Vacheron Constantin revived this legendary calibre, still known today for its reliability, in the Historique Ultra-fine 1955 model.

1955

Wrist chronograph with a tachometer scale

Featuring magnificent horned lugs,

this anti-magnetic and water-resistant case in yellow gold protects a column-wheel chronograph movement with an elapsed-time counter. A shield of soft iron protects the movement from magnetic fields. The dial displays a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and small seconds at 9 o'clock. The evolved styling of this watch makes it one of the most handsome chronographs of its era.

1957

The essence of Vacheron Constantin’s classic styling

Conceived in the ebullient 1950s, when elegance returned to the forefront, this ultra-thin conventional round watch embodied Vacheron Constantin’s classical styling, while offering outstanding reliability. The absence of extraneous decoration and the controlled design are all that is required, provided that every detail — the slimness of the movement and its case, the dial without seconds or minutes scale and the pearl hour markers — serves to accentuate the clean lines and the austere beauty of a timeless design.

In 2004, the Patrimony model paid full honours to this iconic style in a reinvention of the classic look.

This watch embodied Vacheron Constantin’s classical styling.

1968

Ultra-thin self-winding movement

Its square shape was considered very modern at the time.

This superb wristwatch with clean lines is fitted with an ultra-thin self-winding movement. The 2.45mm-high calibre 1120 aroused considerable interest from specialists and collectors.

In 2010 Vacheron Constantin decided to pay its respects by reviving its ultra-thin watches in the Historique Ultra-fine 1968 model.

1972

Diplôme du prestige de la France

In June 1972, the French science and industry minister, François-Xavier Ortoli, awards Vacheron Constantin the rare and coveted Diplôme du Prestige de la France.

Vacheron Constantin thus became the first watchmaking company to win such an honour.

In celebration, the company that year brought out a novel looking wristwatch that featured an asymmetrical case and an oval movement. The elegant “1972” watch had a silvered dial with four numerals and eight hour markers.

1977

Wristwatch "222", precursor of the Overseas model

Codenamed “222”, its monobloc case on a fitted bracelet features a porthole-style screw-held bezel providing resistance to hard wear in harsh environments.

The “222” has plainly visible luminous hands and hour markers. As the ancestor of the Overseas model, the “222” brings excellence and innovation to watches meant for travel, adventure and the great outdoors.

1979

A dazzling tour de force

Kallista

Carved out of a one-kilo gold ingot and set with 118 diamonds totalling 130 carats, the Kallista model (Greek for “most beautiful”) takes the stage as one of the most dazzling horological creations.

It took five years to match all the emerald-cut diamonds and more than 6,000 hours of work to complete the masterpiece.

1992

Calibre 1755 – the world’s thinnest minute-repeater

Mindful of its tradition of making excellent ultra-thin movements, the company decides to recreate a minute-repeating movement in the style of those it produced in the 1940s.

Thus came about the calibre 1755 in 1992. Its height of only 3.28mm made it the world’s thinnest minute-repeater.

Only 200 were ever produced in a skeleton version (pink gold and platinum) or with a dial (yellow gold and platinum).

1994

A tribute to Mercator

Mercator

The art of enamelling has always been practiced by the firm and has been associated with different models, the best known of which is dedicated to Mercator (1512-1594).

This Flemish mathematician and geographer whose real name was Gerhard Kremer drew the first flat projections of the globe for navigators.

Travelling is a major and recurrent theme at Vacheron Constantin, so the company decided to mark the 400th anniversary of the cartographer’s death by launching a collection in his name.

The dial reproduces in enamels the maps of the hemispheres drawn by Mercator himself and the retrograde hands in the shape of dividers were devised especially for the occasion.

1996

Creating the Overseas

1996 marks the birth of the Overseas collection with which Vacheron Constantin embraces the technical and sports side of fine watchmaking.

The structural design of this watch with its naturally elegant and clean lines takes up the contemporary theme of travel. The pure styling reflects its mechanical excellence.

Three years later a chronograph version with a self-winding movement made its appearance.

An essential improvement came in 2004 when an antimagnetic screen was fitted to give the movement all-round protection.

The pure styling of this watch reflects its mechanical excellence.

1998

The Vacheron Constantin workshops in the Vallée de Joux

For many years the firm had kept up a small watchmaking branch in the Vallée de Joux known as the cellule technique. In 1998, the HDG (Haut de Gamme Sàrl) workshops, which had long been a partner of Vacheron Constantin, were merged with the cellule technique to become the Ateliers Vacheron Constantin Vallée de Joux.

The facility in Le Sentier was then given over to research and development and the manufacture and decoration of movement components. In 2013 Vacheron Constantin opened a new manufacturing plant at Le Brassus in the heart of the Vallée de Joux.

It brings together under one roof all the component manufacturing activities, hitherto spread across three buildings.